Physics – Geophysics
Scientific paper
Jun 1991
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1991pggp.rept..415w&link_type=abstract
In NASA, Washington, Reports of Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program, 1990 p 415 (SEE N92-10728 01-91)
Physics
Geophysics
Comet Nuclei, Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby Mission, Comets, Mathematical Models, Mission Planning, Surface Temperature, Temperature Distribution, Thermal Analysis, Crusts, Gaseous Diffusion, Ice, Insulation, Rotating Spheres, Solar Orbits, Solar Position, Sublimation
Scientific paper
A thermal model of periodic comet Kopff was developed to aid in planning for the Comet Rendezvous Asteroid Flyby mission. The model is based on the comet nucleus model, which estimates the surface temperature distribution and sublimation rates on a rotating icy sphere in heliocentric orbit. The model results are compared with the observed gas production rates from Kopff in 1983. It is found that approximately 15 percent of the sunlit nucleus surface is active, a relatively high fraction for a typical short-period comet. This suggests that the actual nucleus radius may be larger than the model value. The slope of the observed gas production curve with heliocentric distance is steeper than that predicted by the thermal model. This may indicate the existence of a more complex process than direct sublimation of surface ices, such as gas diffusion through a nonvolatile insulating crust.
Clause Celia
Weissman Paul
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